The Interpreter: A Tale of the War
CHAPTER XXI
ZULEIKA
"Man to man, and in the desert, I had but little to fear, yet when I sawAchmet's face, my heart turned to water within me. He was a bravewarrior. I had ridden by his side many a time in deadly strife; but Ihad never seen him look like this before. When I turned to confronthim, my horse was jaded and worn out--I felt that my life was in thehand of mine enemy.
"'Achmet,' I said, 'let me go in peace; the maiden has made herchoice--she is mine.'
"His only answer was a lance-thrust that passed between Zuleika's bodyand my own. The girl clung fainting to my bosom, and encumbered mysword-arm. My horse could not withstand the shock of Achmet's charge,and rolled over me on the sand. In endeavouring to preserve Zuleikafrom injury, my yataghan dropped out of its sheath; my lance was alreadybroken in the fall, and I was undermost, with the gripe of my adversaryon my throat. Twice I shook myself free from his hold: and twice I wasagain overmastered by my rival. His eyes were like living coals, and thefoam flew from his white lips. He was mad, and Allah gave him strength.The third time his grasp brought the blood from my mouth and nostrils.I was powerless in his hold. His right arm was raised to strike; I sawthe blade quivering dark against the burning sky. I turned my eyestowards Zuleika; for even then I thought of _her_. The girl was a trueArab, faithful to the last. Once, twice, she raised her arm quick anddeadly as the lightning. She had seized my yataghan when it droppedfrom its sheath, and she buried it in Achmet's body. I rose from theground a living man, and I was saved by her.
"Effendi, we took the bay mare, and left my jaded horse with the deadman. For days we journeyed on, and looked not back, nor thought of thepast, for we were all in all to each other; and whilst our barley lastedand we could find water we knew that we were safe: so we reached Cairo,and trusted in Allah for the future. I had a sword, a lovely wife, andthe best mare in the world; but I was a soldier, and I could not gain mybread by trade. I loathed the counters and the bazaar, and longed oncemore to see the horsemen marshalled in the field. So I fed and dressedthe bay mare, and cleaned my arms, and leaving Zuleika in the bazaars,placed myself at the gate of the Pasha, and waited for an audience.
"He received me kindly, and treated me as a guest of consideration; buthe had a cunning twinkle in his eye that I liked not; and although Iknew him to be as brave as a lion, I suspected he was as treacherous asthe fox; nevertheless, 'the hungry man knows not dates from bread,' andI accepted service under him willingly, and went forth from his presencewell pleased with my fate. 'Zuleika,' I thought, 'will rejoice to hearthat I have employment, and I shall find here in Cairo a sweet littlegarden where I will plant and tend my rose.'
"I thought to rejoin my love where I had left her, in the bazaar; butshe was gone. I waited hours for her return; she came not, and theblood thickened round my heart. I made inquiries of the porters andwater-carriers, and all the passers-by that I could find: none had seenher. One old woman alone thought she had seen a girl answering mydescription in conversation with a black, wearing the uniform of thePasha; but she was convinced the girl had a fawn-coloured robe, or itmight have been lilac, or perhaps orange, but it certainly was notgreen: this could not then be Zuleika, for she wore the colour of theProphet. She was lost to me--she for whom I had striven and toiled somuch; my heart sank within me; but I could not leave the place, and formonths I remained at Cairo, and became a Yuz-Bashi in the Guards of thePasha. But from that time to this I have had no tidings of Zuleika--myZuleika."
The Beloochee's face was deadly pale, and his features worked withstrong emotion: it was evident that this fierce warrior--man of bloodthough he had been from his youth upward--had been tamed by the Arabgirl. She was the one thing on earth he loved, and the love of suchwild hearts is fearful in intensity. After a pause, during which heseemed to smother feelings he could not command, he proceeded in ahoarse, broken voice with his tale.
"The days have never been so bright since I lost her, Effendi; but whatwould you? it was my kismet, and I submitted; as we must all submit whenit is fruitless to struggle. Day by day I did my duty, and increased inthe good opinion of the Pasha; but I cared for nothing now save only thebay mare, and I gave her the name of one whom I should never see again.
"The Pasha was a haughty old warrior, lavish in his expenses,magnificent in his apparel, and above all, proud of his horses. Some ofthe swiftest and noblest steeds of the desert had found their way intohis stables; and there were three things in the world which it was wellknown he would not refuse in the shape of a bribe, these were gold,beauty, and horse-flesh. Ere long he cast a wistful look on my bay mareZuleika.
"It is well known, Effendi, that an Arab mare of pure race is not to beprocured. The sons of the desert are true to their principles, andalthough gold will buy their best horses, they are careful not to partwith their mares for any consideration in the world. For long the Pashawould not believe that Zuleika was a daughter of that wonderful linewhich was blessed so many hundred years ago by the Prophet, nor was Ianxious that he should learn her value, for I knew him to be a man whotook no denial to his will. But when he saw her outstripping allcompetitors at the jereed; when he saw her day after day, at work or atrest, in hardship or in plenty, always smooth and sleek and mettlesomeas you see her now, he began to covet so good an animal, and with thePasha to covet was in one way or another to possess.
"Many a hint was given me that I ought to offer him my bay mare as apresent, and that I might then ask what I would; but to all these Iturned a deaf ear; now that _she_ was gone, what had I in the world butZuleika? and I swore in my soul that death alone should part us. Atlength the Pasha offered me openly whatever sum I chose to name as theprice of my mare, and suggested at the same time that if I continuedobdurate, it might be possible that he should obtain the animal fornothing, and that I should never have occasion to get on horsebackagain. My life was in danger as well as my favourite. I determined, ifit were possible, to save both.
"I went to the Pasha's gate and demanded an audience, presenting at thesame time a basket of fruit for his acceptance. He received megraciously, and ordered pipes and coffee, bidding me seat myself on thedivan by his side.
"'Ali,' said he, after a few unmeaning compliments, 'Ali, there are ahundred steeds in my stable. Take your choice of them and exchange withme your bay mare, three for one."
"'Pasha!' I replied, 'my bay mare is yours and all that I have, but I amunder an oath, that never in my life am I to _give_ or _sell_ her to anyone.'
"The Pasha smiled, and the twinkle in his eye betokened mischief. 'Itis said,' he answered, 'an oath is an oath. There is but one Allah!'
"'Nevertheless, Highness,' I remarked, 'I am at liberty to LOSE her.She may yet darken the door of your stable if you will match your besthorse against her, the winner to have both. But you shall give me aliberal sum to run the race.'
"The Pasha listened eagerly to my proposal. He evidently considered therace was in his own hands, and I was myself somewhat surprised at thereadiness with which he agreed to an arrangement which he must haveforeseen would end in the discomfiture and loss of his own steed withoutthe gain of mine. I did not know yet the man with whom I had to deal.
"'To-morrow, at sunrise,' said the Pasha, 'I am willing to start myhorse for the race; and, moreover, to show my favour and liberality, Iam willing to give a thousand piasters for every ten yards' start youmay choose to take. If my horse outstrips your mare you return me themoney, if you win you take and keep all.'
"I closed with the proposal, and all night long I lay awake, thinkinghow I should preserve Zuleika in my own possession. That I should win Ihad no doubt, but this would only expose me to fresh persecutions, andeventually I should lose my life and my mare too. Towards sunrise athought struck me, and I resolved to act upon it.
"I would hold the Pasha to his word; I would claim a start of fiftyyards, and a present of five thousand piasters. I would take the
moneyimmediately, and girth my mare for the struggle. With fifty yards ofadvantage, where was the horse in the world that could come up withZuleika? I would fly with her once more into the desert, and take mychance. Better death with her, than life and liberty deprived of mytreasure. I rose, prayed, went to the bath, and then fed and saddled myfavourite, placing a handful of dates and a small bag of barley behindthe saddle.
"All Cairo turned out to see the struggle. The Pasha's troops wereunder arms, and a strong party of his own guards, the very regiment towhich I belonged, was marshalled to keep the ground. We were to run adistance of two hours[#] along the sand. Lances pointed out our course,and we were to return and finish in front of a tent pitched for thePasha himself. His ladies were present, too, in their gilded _arabas_,surrounded by a negro guard. As I led my mare up they waved theirhandkerchiefs, and one in particular seemed restless and uneasy. Iimagined I heard a faint scream from the interior of her _araba_; butthe guard closed round it, and ere I had looked a second time it hadbeen driven from the ground. Just then the Pasha summoned myself and mycompetitor to his tent. I cast my eye over my antagonist. He wasconsiderably lighter than I was, and led a magnificent chestnutstallion, the best in the Pasha's stables; but when I looked at itsstrong but short form, and thought of Zuleika's elastic gait and lengthystride, I had no fears for the result."
[#] About seven miles. The Asiatic always counts space by time, and anhour is equivalent to something over a league.
"I saluted the Pasha, and made my request. 'Highness,' I said, 'I claima start of fifty yards and five thousand piasters. Let the money bepaid, that I may take it with me and begin.'
"'It is well,' replied the Pasha; '_Kiatib_,' he added, to hissecretary, 'have you prepared the "backshish" for Ali Mesrour? Bestowit on him with a blessing, that he may mount and away,' and again thecruel eye twinkled with its fierce grim humour. Effendi, my heart sankwithin me when I saw two sturdy slaves bring out a sack, evidently ofgreat weight, and proceed to lay the burden on my pawing mare. 'What isthis?' I exclaimed, aghast; 'Highness, this is treachery! I am not tocarry all that weight!'
"'Five thousand piasters, oh my soul!' replied the Pasha, with his mostferocious grin; 'and all of it _in copper_, too. Mount, in the name ofthe Prophet, and away!'
"My adversary was already in his saddle; the sack was fastened in frontof mine. I saw that if I made the slightest demur, it would beconsidered a sufficient excuse to deprive me of my mare, perhaps of mylife. With a prayer to Allah, I got into my saddle. Zuleika steppedproudly on, as though she made but little of the weight; and I took myfifty yards of start, and as much more as I could get. The signal-shotwas fired, and we were off. Zuleika sniffed the air of the desert, andsnorted in her joy. Despite of the piasters, she galloped on. Effendi,from that day to this I have seen neither my antagonist in the race, northe negro guard, nor the gilded _arabas_, nor the Pasha's angry smile.I won my mare, I won my life and freedom; also I carried off fivethousand piasters of the Pasha's money, and doubtless four times a dayhe curses me in his prayers, but yonder is the dawn, and here is theDanube. Sick and faint you must be, Tergyman! Yet in two hours more weshall reach Omar Pasha's tent, for I myself placed a picket of oursoldiers on either bank at yonder spot, and they have a boat; so takecourage for a little time longer, and confess that the breath of themorning here is sweeter than the air of a Russian prison. Who canforetell his destiny? There is but one Allah!"
I had not the tough frame of my Beloochee friend; before we reached thewaterside I had fainted dead away. I remembered no more till I awokefrom my fever in an hospital tent at head-quarters. On that weary timeof prostration and suffering it is needless for me to dwell. Ere I couldsit upright in bed the winter had commenced, the season for fieldoperations was over, and the army established in cantonments. There wasa lull, too, before the storm. The Allies had not yet put forth theirstrength, and it was far from improbable that the war might even then benear its conclusion.
Victor had determined to return to Hungary, and insisted on myaccompanying him. Weak, maimed, and emaciated, I could be of no serviceto my chief, or to the great General who had so kindly recognised me. Ihad nothing to keep me in Turkey; I had nothing to take me to England.No, no, anywhere but there. Had I but won a name, I should haverejoiced to return into Somersetshire, to see Constance once again--torepay her coldness with scorn--perhaps to pass her without speaking--or,bitterer still, to greet her with the frankness and ease of a mereacquaintance. But what was I, to dream thus? A mere adventurer, at besta poor soldier of fortune, whose destiny, sooner or later, would be butto fatten a battle-field or encumber a trench, and have his namemisspelt in a _Gazette_. No, no, anywhere but England, and why notHungary? Victor's arguments were unanswerable; and once more--but oh!how changed from the quiet, thoughtful child--I was again at Edeldorf.